“OUR STRATEGY” Nehemiah
FBCF – 2/16/25
Jon Daniels
INTRO – “Thank God for Sunday Morning” video
Last Sunday was Super Bowl Sunday. It’s the single most important game of the year, the game that every NFL player & team is working for & hoping for. At the end of the game, there’s a winning team & a losing team. The confetti falls down, the Lombardi trophy is lifted up, & the fans go crazy. Super Bowl Sunday is the single most important day of the year for the NFL.
- And then it’s over.
But EVERY Sunday is Super Bowl Sunday for the Church. Each Sunday is just as important as the other Sundays.
- Some folks may say that Easter Sunday is the most important Sunday. But we preach the message of Easter EVERY Sunday – 1 Corinthians 15:3-4 – “For what I received I passed on to you as of first importance]: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, 4 that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures.”
- Some folks may say that the Sunday before Christmas is most important. But we preach the message of the incarnation of Christ EVERY Sunday – 1 Timothy 1:15 – “Here is a trustworthy saying that deserves full acceptance: Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners.”
EVERY Sunday is Super Bowl Sunday for the Church! We need to get it right every Sunday…We need to be on our A-game every Sunday…We need to get the W every Sunday…Why? B/c our vision is to be a people & a place of GRACE where anyone can meet Jesus & grow in their relationship w/ Him. We’ve got to work hard to get it right EVERY Sunday so that when the “anyones” show up, they’ll experience the GRACE of God & encounter Jesus in a real way.
- When the guy who was sitting on the barstool on Sat. night is sitting on one of these pews/chairs on Sun. AM
- When the brokenhearted woman who was weeping on Sat night is looking for healing here on Sun. AM
- When the addict who was deep in whatever his/her addiction is on Sat. night is longing for freedom here on Sun. AM.
- When the confused deconstructing student who is floundering on Sat night is here seeking answers on Sun. AM.
- When the man, woman, boy, or girl who is lost & bound for hell on Sat night is here hoping that this Savior named Jesus will really save them on Sun AM.
EXPLANATION – Nehemiah 1:1-3
Sermon today: “Our Strategy” (follows Vision & Mission). When I think of men who had a strategy in Bible, I think of Neh. He had an important mission to do & a strategy to do it. Good playbook for a pastor & church leaders. Quick walkthrough of this book to see the components of his strategy:
- He saw the need – “…The wall of Jerusalem is broken down, & its gates are destroyed by fire.” Made the city & the people extremely vulnerable to attacks of the enemy.
- He prayed hard & often – 1:4ff; 2:4; 4:4,9; 5:19; 6:9, 14
- He stepped out in faith – 2:4ff
- He rallied the people – ch. 3 – “next to him/them” (15x) – “after [behind] him/them” (15x)
- He got to work – entire ch. 3
- He took a stand – 4:1 – Neh’s response – v. 14. Then again in 6:1-3 (Jeff Parker)
- He worshiped the Lord – 8:5-6
- He celebrated what God had done – 8:9-12
APPLICATION – Our strategy is a biblical plan of action to fulfill our mission.
We saw the components of Neh’s strategy to accomplish the mission that God gave him. Let’s unpack the components of our strategy as a church to accomplish God’s mission for us. Remind you what our mission is from last week’s sermon:
Our mission is to be a healthy church that is committed to making much of Jesus by constantly sharing the Gospel & making disciples who make disciples.
ENGAGE THE WORLD WITH THE LOVE OF GOD
Student in a seminary class stood up & announced, “I don’t believe in God.” Prof: “Describe the God you don’t believe in.” After the student described an angry, vengeful, unloving God, professor confessed, “I don’t believe in that God either. My God is a God of love.”
So many people see all the pain & suffering in the world & conclude that God IS an unloving, vengeful deity. It’s hard to see through that pain when you’ve experienced that pain up close & personal. The enemy capitalizes on those moments of vulnerability & feeds our minds w/ his lies. We must remember that it is HE – Satan – that desires to steal, kill, & destroy, not the God who loves the world so much that He sent His Son to die for our sins. And when we, as the people of God, engage the world w/ the love of God, we counter Satan’s lies w/ the overpowering truth of God’s unconditional, perfect love. The world MUST SEE & KNOW, & EXPERIENCE the love of God through US.
The apostle John said it this way in 1 John 3:16-18: “We know what real love is because Jesus gave up his life for us. So we also ought to give up our lives for our brothers and sisters. If someone has enough money to live well and sees a brother or sister] in need but shows no compassion—how can God’s love be in that person? Dear children, let’s not merely say that we love each other; let us show the truth by our actions.” (NLT)
- Want to know why we gave food to 200 families this week at Mission Flora?
- Want to know why we go on mission trips – medical, pass out rice & beans, disaster relief?
- Want to know why Sonshiners took Valentine’s happies to our shut-ins this week?
- Want to know why we helped the families who lost everything in the apt fire back on T’giving Day? LG “Santa’s Helpers”
- Want to know why some of us give money to homeless people at the intersections in Jxn?
- For THIS reason – Engage the world w/ the love of G
EQUIP BELIEVERS TO WITNESS & MAKE DISCIPLES
Not going to re-preach my sermon from last week, but it is plainly taught in Scripture that EVERY believer should be on mission to witness to lost people & be involved in discipling others.
- John Jolly
- Cooper Deloach
It’s also plainly taught in Scripture that one of the main responsibilities of pastors is to equip believers to do those things.
- Ephesians 4:11-12 – “It was He who gave some to be apostles, some to be prophets, some to be evangelists, & some to be pastors & teachers, to prepare God’s people for works of service, so that the Body of Christ may be built up.” (NIV) – Which leads into the next component…
ENCOURAGE THE CHURCH TO BE THE CHURCH
We need to move away from the concept of “going to church” & move toward the biblical truth of “being the Church.” J.D. Greear – “We should not allow people to see the church as a weekly service they attend to make God happy. The gathering of the church is preparation for heavenly battle. We “huddle together” for a few minutes each week to worship God together & build each other up so that each of us can more effectively run the “missional play” throughout the week.” (https://gracequotes.org/topic/church-purpose/)
What does is mean for us to BE the Church? Just think about what Jesus said:
- Be salt – preserves, flavors, stings, influences - Matthew 5:13
- Be light - Matthew 5:14
- Be different (set apart, holy) - "deny yourself" - Luke 9:23
- Be willing to sacrifice - "take up your cross"
- Be obedient - "follow me"
Someone may ask, “What’s the address of FBCF?” Immediate answer – 102 Jackson Street. Or if UPS or FedEx is asking, the answer is 113 Center Street. But the REAL address of FBCF is – members' addresses from directory:
- TCA, Flora FD, UMMC or MS Baptist Med Ctr, Community College campuses & senior college campuses all over state, CF Industries or Fed Prison in YC, or wherever you work or go to school
And as we are being the church wherever we are, we should…
EXALT JESUS IN EVERYTHING WE DO
- 1 Corinthians 10:31 – “So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God.”
- Psalm 115:1 – “Not to us, O Lord, not to us, but to your name give glory…”
- 1 Corinthians 6:20 – “You were bought w/ a price. So, glorify God in your body.”
- Philippians 4:13 – “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.”
- John 3:30 – “He must increase; I must decrease.”
CONCLUSION – God’s VISION leads us to His MISSION which is accomplished through His STRATEGY.
Let’s GO!
